# MOO and VRML 2.0 ?

Graeme Smith (grysmith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca)
Sat, 17 Feb 1996 13:24:06 PST

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    Well, its nice to see this discussion start.

    I think MOO is good for a number of different purposes. I think that we
    should accept that there is not going to be, any longer a single overriding
    theme to MOO, it is coming of age. And its a WONDERFUL idea for a number of
    different reasons.

    Personally I say go to it, build them all, and experiment with them.

    The roles I see for MOO are a little bit different that some of the
    ones you guys are talking about.

    The DIS system with distributed Objects is of course the only way to
    do realtime animation over a network. Anticipatory sending of timestamped
    data, is a real godsend for realtime animation. But it requires a common
    Client Architecture. DIS had its own, obviously. But in the REAL live
    WORLD WIDE internet, no one client is going to corner the market.

    Too many platforms too many variations. We need a standard, and VRML
    is only the first step, to a DIS like utility.

    With the start of interest in MOO-MOO communications, and WWW server/client
    emulation, begins the ability to mask the nature of the net within the
    application. Who cares how the network gets the job done, if you press
    the button and the picture appears.

    That is the value of Netscape. You push the button, and the screen
    changes.... Its a bit slow and quirky, but the concept is valid.

    Problem is, Netscape is a single line communications device, it doesn't
    telnet in, and run Netscape at the same time. We need the ability to
    share at least two different channels on the same client. One for WOO
    and one for interaction with the MOO. Or we need to build the client
    server relationship so that it can drop the channel and still be able
    to send packets from time to time to interact. A special MOO/WOO message
    interpreter between client and MOO.

    So suppose we get the client to work....

    Suppose we get the VRML, Animation Files, TEXT files all to be
    available interactively.....

    We have a wonderful toy, it might be good for certain types of communication
    education and so on, but it's too glitzy for real work.

    And that my freinds is why I think we need a Modular Core, one that can
    be BOTH the fancy VRML, ANIMATION game, and a pure text interface
    VR or not as required.

    It's not too long now before people are going to be demanding the same
    level of sophistication on the Internet as they get at home in Windows
    or MAC. They are going to want, resident programs for spelling, and
    translation, and who all knows what.

    I think, if the language ever gets cleaned up MOO is a natural for such
    tasks, Set up a MOO Server JUST for SPELLING, and send messages to it
    say, articles to be spell checked automatically. No one knows its a moo
    but the person running it, signs on, and reads his stats from the VR
    interface.

    Besides, I know its not ADA or C++ but the database concept sure makes
    it easier to maintain.

    Some situations are going to be, intermediates between the Program that
    is an environment when it is being maintained, and the Environment that
    is running in real time. Somwhere there have to be directories, routers
    or whatever, that help people find the information their looking for.

    What better way, then letting the user, give a Bot, the search string and
    send it off for a random walk until it gets an answer from one of the
    search engines. Registered as objects on the MOO. Where better than on a MOO
    like environment where the bot can insert the search string into each
    engine and if it gets a negative answer go on to the next database.

    For exhaustive searches, set up a fleet of bots to do a search across
    the whole list. Each one bringing back its own version of the answers
    and reading it into a special database client that builds the definitive
    listing. The list search limited mostly by the MOO's usage limitations
    programmed in by the OWNER. (It just takes longer to get a result, instead
    of jamming everybody elses machines up.)

    The limitations are more, in what we allow ourselves to do, than in
    any builtin limitation of the Server.

    				Grey

    GRAEME SMITH                         email: grysmith@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
    2536 138A ave Edmonton